This invention relates to a reentry space vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "reentry vehicle") and, more particularly, to a modification thereof to alter or otherwise change the radar cross section (hereinafter referred to as "RCS") signature, i.e., radar return signal, thereof.
It is to be understood that the term "reentry vehicle", as used herein, is intended to mean a space vehicle which is not only capable of being launched into (and existing airborne in) space, but which is also capable of successfully reentering the earth's atmosphere. It is also to be noted that reentry vehicles normally have an integrated heatshield, including an external ablating surface layer.
It is very well known in the reentry vehicle art that an identifying static RCS signature exists for each class of integrated heatshield reentry vehicle built with a contiguous metallic substructure beneath the heatshield. Equally well known is the fact that significant modification (i.e., change or alteration) of any individual metallic substructured reentry vehicle's RCS signature has been impossible for many reasons, but primarily because of the contiguous metallic substructure, which is sometimes referred to as the reentry vehicle's "metal shell". However, it is here to be noted that reentry vehicles can be built without this "metal shell".
Irrespective of whether the reentry vehicle has or does not have a "metal shell", there exits a genuine need in the reentry vehicle art, particularly as a matter of national defense and the use of reentry vehicle decoys in conjunction therewith, for an integrated heatshield reentry vehicle whose RCS return or "signature" (i.e., pattern) in the "nose-on" aspect region can be controlled, individualized, or otherwise modified to confuse and/or to deceive the hostile tracker thereof.
I have invented an improvement applicable to any reentry vehicle of the type which is constructed without a contiguous metal structure beneath (i.e., internal of) the heatshield; and, thereby, I have fulfilled this existing need, and have therefore significantly advanced the state-of-the-art.